With a clientele as diverse as its inspiration, the brand’s following is growing rapidly. Here, Andrey shares his brand’s story and addresses misconceptions about Russia.
17 January, 2019
Russian
designer Andrey Artyomov began his career in editorial
and styling before founding his womenswear label, Walk of Shame, in
2011. Combining streetwear and feminine elements in a way that
reads more modern than grunge, Artyomov’s pieces range from beaded
gowns to cotton sweatshirts – and manage to form a cohesive
collection.
Drawing on his Russian heritage, Artyomov grew up being
influenced by cultures near and far via films. Today, he continues
to discover new inspirations globally, be it in the departures hall
awaiting a connect flight or on visiting a museum in New York.
With a clientele as diverse as its inspiration, the brand’s
following is growing rapidly. Here, Andrey shares his brand’s story
and addresses misconceptions about Russia.
Andrey Artyomov
Russian
Moscow, Russia
Women and Men ready-to-wear
Farfetch, NGXTSUM (Natasha Goldenberg space at TSUM), Galeries
Lafayette, My Boon Seoul, TenoverSix – Dallas and Miami, Gratus – LA, Asthik – Kiev in addition to
other locations.
Ufa, Russia.
Moscow is different from every other city in Russia; it’s an
enormous capital and the people there are what make it stand out.
The rhythm of life is much calmer in Ufa.
The nightlife in Moscow is loud and buzzing so I thought Walk of
Shame described it well.
In my opinion, fashion is more social than political. It’s
unique and individual to each person – his or her tastes and
preferences. Social change and pop culture have had immense
influence on my designs.
It’s always different. From one collection to another we are
trying to mix masculine shapes with feminine fabrics, or vice
versa. Art and film are always inspirations for me, whether it is
classic art or contemporary. My collections are based on a
personality, a message or a story, that can be always seen at my
shows. Some of my past inspirations include Princess Diana, Georgia
O’Keefe and Yunhee Min’s artwork presented in Hammer Museum in
2012.
All the words we choose are part of the aesthetics of the
collection. “Sorry” was inspired by the Sony logo, which was
popular with teenagers when I was growing up. The word itself is
very Walk Of Shame – it goes well with the logo style. “The Camel”
comes from a packet of cigarettes which I find beautiful. The word
“visitor” was taken from an image of Hillary Clinton wearing a hard
hat during one of her visits to a factory. Our “I am a luxury”
jumper was was inspired by one Princess Diana’s wore.
It comes from everywhere. I see it in street style all over the
world; that’s why I like flights with long connections because you
can see people from all different cultures mix together in the
airport. There are people wearing dark and reserved clothing while
others are showing their love for brighter clothes and crazy
styling.
My editorial career at L’Officiel Russia and work with Evelina
Khromchenko (the editor-in-chief of the magazine at that time) has
given me a lot of very important experiences and knowledge of the
industry. I work on my collections as a stylist, just the same as
when I was styling looks during the shoots when I was an editor. My
experience really helps with that because I always try to create a
story behind the collection. First, I create my moodboard. After my
moodboard I determine the different styles. I always pull from
masculine wardrobes; I just love seeing men’s clothing on women. I
used to always style Dior suits from Hedi Slimane
collection on models.
I had no expectations when I was going to New York. I was surprised by how
well the brand was received. It was nice to see how attentively
people listened to the story about our lookbook photoshoot in Ufa
and the photos by Aleksey Kiselev. For most of those people, Ufa is
a place in the middle of nowhere, so it was good for me to share my
thoughts and images of my hometown with them.
Simachev Shop & Bar is my second home. It is the only place
that seems to be here forever – or at least since I moved to
Moscow. You can eat there 24/7, whether you want to breakfast,
dinner or pizza at 4am. Their music is the best too. I also love
Remy Kitchen & Bakery and Cutfish. In summer, I like to go to
Ping Pong Club Moscow, where you can sit, drink wine and watch
young people playing ping-pong in the yard.
Definitely see all of the popular “tourist” places because they
are incredibly beautiful – Red Square, the museums and key
cathedrals. Walk around Tverskaya street and Hitrovka street near
Kurskaya station; all those secret lanes where you can find the
Moscow described by Vladimir Gilyarovsky in his books.
Garage museum is my favourite contemporary museum in Moscow and
of course the Bolshoi Theatre is a must see. For shopping, I’d
recommend TSUM х Natasha Goldenberg. It has the most daring and
outstanding choice of brands and clothing. Also visit GUM; it was
the first department store in Russia and you can try the best ice
cream while taking in Red Square.
It is better to go in spring – April and May are my favourite
months in Moscow. Go in winter and you’ll find yourself in a true
snowy Russian fairytale.
People are kinder, funnier, more beautiful and relaxed. We like
to dance, have fun, drink and welcome our guests. Moscow is not
like all the stereotypes.
Saint Petersburg, of course, and
all the surroundings of the city. Karelia’s forests and old wooden
houses and untouched rural life is a special place.
Our next step is develop the brand even more and go further in
the world, although we do already have 70% of the sales in foreign
shops. I’d like to live in Paris or LA – they are my two favourite
cities – it would be nice to have a WOS HQ in one of them.
